LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. -- For the next two weeks, the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will recognize and honor all of its senior spring sport student-athletes who had their final seasons cut short by the COVID-19 outbreak.
After the NCAA made the unprecedented decision on Thursday, March 12 to cancel all winter and spring championships due to the coronavirus pandemic, the SCAC Presidents Council decided to indefinitely suspend all regular season conference and non-conference competition.
"This was a heartbreaking decision we had to make," said SCAC Commissioner Dwayne Hanberry. "No one wanted it to come to this, but at the end of the day we are tasked with prioritizing the health and well-being of thousands of students and student-athletes on each of our campuses. That has to to be the focus above all else."
Although the league held out hope that by only suspeding play a window of opportunity may present itself for an abbreviated spring season with some form of tournament play the following month, with the virus continuing to spread throughout the country which has caused campuses who had originally hoped to remain open to close for the semester, the 2020 athletics season has effectively ended for over a thousand of the league's spring sport student-athletes along with the careers of 100+ seniors.
And even though some of the league's student-athletes may take advantage of a blanket waiver that would grant an additional season of participation, the SCAC office would like to honor and recognize all of its spring sport senior student athletes.
Today, the league turns the spotlight on its senior men's tennis student-athletes. Represented among these 18 student-athletes is:
- 30 SCAC All-Academic selections
- 18 ITA Scholar Athletes
- 6 SCAC All-Sportsmanship selections
- 11 SCAC All-Tournament selections (singles play)
- 10 SCAC All-Tournament selections (doubles play)
- 11 All-SCAC First Team selections
- 1 SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year
- 1 SCAC Player-of-the-Year
- 1 SCAC Elite 19 recipient
- 3 SCAC Championship titles
- 7 NCAA Tournament appearances (team and individual)
- 1 ITA West Region Player-to-Watch
- 1 ITA All-American selection (singles play)
- 1 ITA All-American selection (doubles play)
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Favorite memory as a SCAC student-athlete:
Siddharth Arun Kortikere | My most significant memory would be getting to the ITA regional finals and playing that match for the championship with my doubles partner Kenneth Hardy. It was an incredibly high level of tennis and being able to experience that and be a part of that was very special. Even though we got 2nd place, that match will always be engrained in memories because of all the support we received from my teammates and the history that we made for the Austin College Men's Tennis program.
Safe Abdel-Rahman | Traveling for away matches and competing with my team. As well as playing rival schools in Colorado.
Favorite memory as a SCAC student-athlete:
Alexis Dimanche | Beating Trinity 5-4 at home in 2018
Dean Dulthummon | Clincher against Trinity university
Tyler Norman | Beating Trinity for the first time in school history
Jeremy Wilson | Definitely beating Trinity my sophomore year. After seeing my two best friends fight through their third set matches, and Dean getting the clinch 7-6 in the third at 4-4, left me in tears. That was the culmination of all of our hard work. I’ll never forget it.
Favorite memory as a SCAC student-athlete:
Quashi Philips | Being recognized as outstanding singles player and outstanding doubles player in the same week.
Favorite memory as a SCAC student-athlete:
Alex Talley | My favorite memory as a student athlete was being able to go to Orlando and spending a week with my team just playing tennis and site-seeing. It really made me feel part of my team and that they were my second family.
Upcoming |
| March 23, 2020 | Men's Golf |
| March 24, 2020 | Women's Golf |
| March 25, 2020 | Men's Lacrosse |
| March 26, 2020 | Women's Lacrosse |
| March 27, 2020 | Men's Tennis |
| March 30, 2020 | Women's Tennis |
| March 31, 2020 | Men's Track & Field |
| April 1, 2020 | Women's Track & Field |
| April 2, 2020 | Baseball |
| April 3, 2020 | Softball |
